Leanne’s Blog:

The greatest gift you can give a photographer is trust, and that is exactly what Mike and Heather gave me the day of their Maternity Photoshoot.

Heather knew she wanted to capture her expanded baby bump before Spud was born. Mike knew he didn’t want to shoot on the beach again ( I can’t blame him- it was windy that day.) I knew I wanted to use my last smoke bomb. Together, we created a vision.

While I have yet to experience what it is like to grow a human inside of me, and while I still envision it much like when Bella from Twilight was pregnant, there is something magical about the idea that one woman human is carrying around another human for nine months. Heather and Mike talk about “Spud” (they won’t tell me the name- I tried!) as if she has been around forever. And, maybe she has. After all, their love story dates back far, and this Spud is a creation of two people who genuinely, truly, love and respect each other.

Much like the novels that Heather teaches, I wanted Heather and Mike’s love story to be encapsulated in a magical way. I wanted their photos to have the juxtaposition of the darkness of the woods, with a whimsical element like the giant balloons. The balloons also serving as a pun because Heather is truly about to pop.

These portraits are not typical Maternity Photos, and for that I’m grateful to Heather and Mike. I wanted to capture them at their purest, happiest moment since their wedding day. I wanted to give them genuine portraits of their love, and I wanted to be able to show Spud one day just how in love her parents are.

Heather and Mike, thank you for trusting me with this moment, and for your friendship. I cannot wait to meet Baby Spud.

I've outlined this before, but, family portraits were always something that made me nervous. That is, until I started doing them.

The truth is, I love family portraits! I love hanging out with the kids, I love pulling the parents aside and doing a mini portrait session just of them, I love the inquisitive nature of kids who want to touch and hold the camera (and, ::gasp::, I always let them hold it!) and I love the moments between a little nucleus that connect them.

But, I only started to love family portraits when I stayed true to myself. Enter, this beautiful family.

((Side note: As a privacy to the kids, I do not share their name, and will use aliases. I know the parents are okay with it, but, the internet is weird so it's a personal choice!))

When Nancy (not her real name) first contacted me about doing their family shoot, I was so excited. We met at sunken meadow state park two hours before the sunset giving us optimal time to enjoy the beauty of that light.

Admittedly, we were both pretty nervous to start; I always say it takes a few shots to get everyone comfortable. By the end, I don't think any of us wanted to leave. This family was just so beautiful, and, in a few short weeks I get to work with them again! The best part about family portraits is that you get to see as families grow and kids get older.